SPONSORED BY
Good morning!
The Destin-based Ellison McCraney Ingram Foundation will award $360,000 in scholarships to 9 area students, providing substantial support for their college education. Applied Intuition opens its Fort Walton Beach office to advance aerial autonomy and physical AI, ‘Joey the Jeweler’ is named Crestview’s 2026 Citizen of the Year, and Choctaw girls basketball is battle-tested and ready for their playoff run. Highways 85, 285 and State Roads 123, 293 close today for military missions, and get an inside look at how Lori Shaak leads Collegiate High School.
- Plus, try today’s WordroW puzzle.
HOW I WORK
How Lori Shaak leads Collegiate High School with empathy, consistency, and a focus on student growth
“How I Work” is brought to you by the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce. Join the most influential organization in Okaloosa. Learn more here.
Lori Shaak moved to the Florida Panhandle in 2008 during a military assignment and quickly found a place she could call home.
- Originally from Pennsylvania, she built a career in education that has spanned elementary, middle, and now high school leadership — bringing a deep understanding of student development to every role she’s held.
Lori serves as the Interim Principal of Collegiate High School at Northwest Florida State College, a public charter school where motivated students earn college credit while completing their high school diploma.
In a fast-paced, academically driven environment, her leadership centers on empathy, consistency, and creating opportunities that allow students and staff to thrive.
Click here to read our interview
More “How I Work” Stories?? We have all of our past stories from local leaders and business owners on our website thanks to the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce.
SPONSORED
Raise your game
With Mastercard® rates as low as 7.9% APR and no balance transfer fee, it’s time to lower your rate and raise your game.
Eglin Federal Credit Union. Where Members Matter Most.
Apply in person or online at eglinfcu.org/mastercard. Must be 18 or older to apply online.
GAMES
WordroW: January 21, 2026
WordroW is brought to you by Fort Walton Beach Chiropractic – keeping your mind sharp and your spine aligned, one game at a time.
Can you guess today’s 5-letter word in six tries?
WordroW is Get The Coast’s daily word puzzle featuring local words, places, and phrases from our community. You have six guesses to find the mystery word – green letters are correct and in the right spot, yellow letters are in the word but wrong position, and gray letters aren’t in the word at all.
TRAFFIC
TODAY: Highways 85, 285 and State Roads 123, 293 closures
The 96th Test Wing will conduct testing on the Eglin Test Complex on Jan. 21, requiring the closure of Highway 85 and 285, and State Roads 123 and 293 between 9 a.m. and noon.
The road should not be closed for more than a 90-minute period.
Note: the road may be closed for several periods within the time frame.
SPORTS
Choctaw girls basketball battle-tested, ready for playoff run
By all accounts, the Choctaw girls basketball team is shaping up to be a formidable contender as the playoffs approach.
- Under the steady leadership of head coach Don Brown, the Lady Indians have built a reputation as perennial postseason threats — a legacy highlighted by four regional titles and two state runner-up finishes during Brown’s tenure.
This season, the Lady Indians’ current 11-10 record tells only part of the story. The team has faced one of Florida’s toughest schedules, with just four opponents holding losing records.
Despite setbacks against powerhouses like Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, Booker T. Washington, Mosley, Gulfport, Pensacola and a recent upset by Crestview, Choctaw has notched impressive victories.
- Early in the season, they handed Niceville its first loss, and they’ve also bested playoff-bound Mosley and Pine Forest, as well as Alabama’s strong St. Paul’s Episcopal squad.
“It was a tough schedule. We’re 11-10 right now, and we’ve played some really good teams, some top-ranked teams. We’ve lost some games we should’ve won, but the better the competition you play, the better you will improve as a team,” Brown said.
PROMOTED
‘Ties and Tiaras’: Father-daughter dance in Fort Walton Beach to benefit Children in Crisis
Jason Carducci wanted to find more ways to connect with his daughter and create special moments together, but the options felt limited.
- “I’ve had the idea of doing something for a while to bond with my daughter because it’s super hard as a dad to find ways to connect,” Carducci said. “She wants to get her nails done every weekend, and that gets expensive. So I thought, why not create an event that gives dads and daughters something special to do together?”
That idea became Ties and Tiaras, a father-daughter dance scheduled for Jan. 24 at Emerald Coast Harley Davidson in Fort Walton Beach. All proceeds will benefit Children in Crisis, a local nonprofit providing emergency shelter and foster care for children across Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties.
The event runs from 6-9 p.m. and will feature DJ Zoran, food, drinks, a mocktail bar for children, photo booths and bouquets provided by Our Greenhouse Floral. Tickets cost $35 for a father-daughter duo, with family packages available for $60 covering a father and up to three daughters.
Organizers have capped attendance at 200 people and hope to raise $10,000 for Children in Crisis, with about $5,000 already secured through sponsorships. For families unable to afford tickets, sponsors have purchased tables specifically to provide free admission.
GIVING BACK
‘Joey the Jeweler’ named Crestview’s 2026 Citizen of the Year
From giving back to investing in the future, FPL is powering strong communities. Learn more here.
A Main Street business owner known for hosting annual Polar Express movie nights and creating memorial jewelry has been named Crestview’s 2026 Mae Reatha Coleman Citizen of the Year.
- Forrest “Joey the Jeweler” Tinklepaugh Jr. received the honor Jan. 12 during a ceremony before the City Council meeting.
The jeweler actively supports non-profit organizations, schools, clubs and events throughout Crestview. Each year, he hosts a Polar Express movie night at the Crestview Community Center where families gather for a free screening with hot chocolate and popcorn.
He also sponsors the Mr. and Mrs. Claus float in the Main Street Crestview Association’s annual Christmas Parade, an event that draws thousands of attendees from Crestview and surrounding areas.
BUSINESS
Applied Intuition opens Fort Walton Beach office to advance aerial autonomy and physical AI
Applied Intuition cut the ribbon Friday on a new Fort Walton Beach office at JG Plaza to advance aerial autonomy and collaborative human-machine teaming for national security.
- The Silicon Valley-based physical AI company, valued at $15 billion, will use the office to accelerate work in aerial autonomy, air combat autonomy and collaborative human-machine teaming. The facility supports 83 employees.
“Florida is a central hub for airpower, munitions, and testing of some of the Department of War’s most advanced systems,” said Qasar Younis, co-founder and CEO of Applied Intuition. “Applied Intuition is pairing the speed and technical expertise of Silicon Valley with the Florida Panhandle’s growing defense tech ecosystem, working shoulder-to-shoulder with operators and local leaders to deliver physical AI that wins real missions.”
The office expands Applied Intuition’s existing Florida presence, where the company is developing and integrating autonomous capabilities for Group 1-3 unmanned aerial system platforms and munitions.
The company is working on autonomy for individual platforms as well as coordinated swarms of munitions to increase survivability, coordination and the ability to detect, track and engage targets.
GIVING BACK
Destin-based Ellison McCraney Ingram Foundation to award $360,000 in scholarships to 9 area students
The Ellison McCraney Ingram Foundation has announced nine scholarship recipients for 2025, marking the Destin-based organization’s largest award year since its establishment four years ago.
- Each recipient will receive up to $40,000 to pursue higher education, with up to $10,000 provided per school year for four years. The scholarships are available to graduating high school seniors and recent graduates from Okaloosa and Walton counties.
Five recipients were selected through the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation program for students who have benefited from services provided by participating charities.
The DCWAF scholarship recipients are:
- Ava Bowers, affiliated with ECCAC.
- Uriel Sanchez, who is pursuing a trade school path and affiliated with Point Washington Medical Center.
- Liliana Quinlan, affiliated with Boys & Girls Club.
- Armin Jusis, affiliated with Ascension Sacred Heart.
- Maima Hampton, affiliated with Youth Village.
Four additional at-large scholarships were awarded to William Justiss, Brock Dugan, Isabella Riggs and Karissa Grant. The at-large ceremony is open to any high school senior or college freshman in the region who has demonstrated outstanding scholastic achievement, leadership or financial need.
The foundation was able to offer four additional at-large scholarships this year due to growing support. The Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation awarded the foundation $200,000 for scholarships this year. Affordable Home Insurance Charities Foundation is providing one of the scholarships after the company’s board reached out to support the foundation’s mission.
OK, that’s all I have for you this morning! I hope you have a great Wednesday! Help us shape the future of local news and make a meaningful impact on your community. Click here to learn how you can support us!
p.s. What did you think of this morning’s newsletter? Hit the reply button and let me know!
Jared
Published with ♥ by Get The Coast.
Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe here.
124 Eglin Parkway SE Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548